A Letter from the Youth Director

"To St. James Youth and Families:

Right now you are probably unsure when your life will get back to normal. You may be wondering what the rest of this school year holds for you. You and your family may be practicing social distancing at this time and don’t know when you’ll be receiving the Eucharist or attending adoration next. Trust me, I understand the complexities surrounding this time of uncertainty. I want to assure you that Jesus is still with us. He is present in your daily lives. He wants nothing more than for you to lean on his understanding and to trust in his perfect plan for your life. Anytime you come to the Lord in prayer he is there waiting with open arms. Every time a priest celebrates the Holy Mass around the world Jesus is present and redeeming us.

Life is going to look quite different for a time. When you feel yourself becoming overwhelmed and anxious remember that Jesus is here in our midst. He has not left us. He still is pouring out his perfect love into our hearts. He is not unmoved by what humanity is facing right now.

Turn to him. Do what you can to help your parents and neighbors. Most of all spend quality time with the Lord in prayer.

I will be posting more often on social media since our time together has been interrupted. If you or you family are needing support during this time feel free to reach out to me or Father Jose via the Church Office.

Our faith is not meant to be lived out individually, it's meant to be lived corporately. That said, I am going to try to make that as possible for our youth as I can. As social distancing becomes our new normal for this time, don't leave your faith or your friends behind! Community is needed now more than ever! Calling, FaceTiming/Skype, social media outlets are all excellent ways we can keep in contact with one another.

I will be going live tonight (and every Tuesday night until our in person meetings resume) at 7pm on our Lifeteen Instagram page, feel free to join me for a virtual meeting! (@lifeteen_sjcc). If you haven't already liked the page please do so, then you will have access to my talks from now on. Tomorrow I'll be attending a diocesan meeting for parish catechetical leaders to discuss effective response strategies and the use of communication tools to share resources while we deal with COVID-19 in our communities. I hope to gain some insight on how to better serve our youth.